View full sizeQB A.J. McCarron looks to pass during the Alabama football team practice in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Sunday, August 7, 2011.
(Birmingham News/Jeff Roberts)

TUSCALOOSA -- There's this mental image of the two of them, leaning in chairs, feet on the desk, laughing together behind that locked door.

It's the gateway to Nick Saban's office, the one rigged with a button Alabama's head coach can press with a finger to open or shut you out of his world.

On Sunday's behind that door, Saban often sits with AJ McCarron where he shows another side of himself.

They're not charting attack plans for the Iron Bowl. Instead, they share all sorts of stories about life experiences helping them understand each other.

So what do they talk about?

"Life in general," McCarron said. "What happened back in his day playing quarterback. We just cut up. I know to the media he's gonna be a little tough because that's just the way he is. We just relax and just talk."

It might be difficult for some to imagine being relaxed in Saban's presence. Perhaps it's McCarron's cool, matter-of-fact demeanor that helps him deal with a tight competition for the starting quarterback job with redshirt freshman Phillip Sims.

McCarron's not intimidated by the challenge of battling Sims. He's certainly not intimidated by Saban or anything else that comes with playing quarterback at Alabama.

It's that type armor any Crimson Tide quarterback needs to deflect the peripheral arrowheads laced with poisonous talk of inner rivalries and quarterback battles. It's McCarron's rock-hard mind that makes it no big deal to kick back with one of the most intense coaches in college football history.

McCarron was asked if it's difficult to play for Saban. He artfully spins the answer to remind people why many elite high school recruits come to Alabama.

"It's not difficult at all," McCarron said. "You know you're gonna get the best out of him, and he expects the best out of you."McCarron, a 6-foot-4, 205-pounder from St. Paul's Episcopal in Mobile, was thrust into the limelight last season after a now infamous "teachable moment." Saban administered what had been described as a "spanking" by former two-year starting quarterback Greg McElroy in a very light-hearted interview.

Saban and McCarron both made light of moment caught on national television after McCarron's ill-advised pass into coverage against Mississippi State. Saban yelled deep into McCarron's ear, then landed a stiff right hand that might have knocked over Courtney Upshaw.

McCarron didn't flinch as he walked in stride.

"It was just a lesson," McCarron said. "...The media made it bigger than what it was, but that happens. Me and coach have a special relationship. ...We've got a special bond, and we joke about it all the time."

McCarron returns as the most experienced quarterback at Alabama. He appeared in every game last season, many as a holder, and eight games at quarterback. He completed 30-of-48 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns.

"AJ has been here a semester longer," Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain said. "But the development as far as that part goes, from a mental standpoint, I've been really happy with how both have grasped the things we ask them to do. I wouldn't say one has one thing more than another. They both fit really well in the system we're putting in to use their abilities."

Saban has maintained a thin line between the two since January calling the competition too close to call, which could result in a shared system. Both quarterbacks have said they will do whatever it takes to help the Tide win.

"Obviously, everybody wants to talk about the quarterback situation," Saban said. "That's something we're gonna evaluate on a day-to-day basis. We're pleased with where both guys are and what they're doing. We'll see how it shakes out."